5 Minutes a Day - Day 12

Day 12 - January 31, 2013 - Senators Ruff, Stosch, Wagner & Watkins

Thank you, friends, for joining me in this "5 Minutes a Day" campaign.  Tomorrow will be our last day of sending e-mails.  Hang in there!

Senators Ruff, Stosch, Wagner & Watkins are the other four Republicans who voted to "re-commit" HB1 to the Senate Education and Health Committee.  Apart from that, I don't know much about them.  I do know, however, that the Republican Party professes a commitment to the protection of human life.  For that reason, I think we should contact them with the same message that we sent to Senator Norment yesterday.

Dear Senator,

I was deeply disappointed to learn of your vote last session to "re-commit" House Bill 1--the quintessential "life at conception" bill--to the Senate Education and Health Committee. As you know, that Committee held a full and lengthy hearing on the bill in which both sides had ample opportunity to present their arguments. I was told that every "question" raised about the bill was, in fact, answered during the hearing. At the end of the hearing, the Committee voted (8-7) to report the bill to the Senate floor for an up or down vote.

Under these circumstances, it appears that your vote to send the bill back to the Committee was nothing less than a manipulation of the legislative process. This bill was vetted through all the proper channels, and it therefore should have received a full, recorded vote on its substance (not just on the motion to send it back to the Committee).

I understand that many politicians have determined that it is time to "move on" from divisive issues such as abortion. But please know that I and countless other Virginians recognize this as a human rights issue. We will not "move on" until the laws of our Commonwealth recognize that life begins at conception and provide basic legal protections for every member of the human family from conception until natural death. In our view, any legislator who is not willing to work to secure the unalienable right to life should not be entrusted with the incredible responsibility of lawmaking.

I hope that you will re-examine your position on this measure, and I am praying toward this end.

Sincerely,

[your name]

Senator Ruff's e-mail address: district15@senate.virginia.gov.
Senator Stosch's e-mail address:  district12@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Wagner's e-mail address:  district07@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Watkins' e-mail address:  district10@senate.virginia.gov

Please pray for these men.